Understanding The Characteristics Of A Cross Bike For A Fun New Experience In Biking

By Michiko Yang

Staying fit is one of the most common concerns of today's modern individuals. As such, people today not only carefully choose which food to eat; they also perform various training exercises. Among these exercises, one of the most popular is cycling. Nonetheless, despite the popularity of this activity as a training exercise, it is still practiced by many cyclists as a professional sporting activity. With the number of purposes of cycling, bicycles are also today available in a wide array of types to choose from, among the popular of which are cross bikes.

Featuring components of both road and mountain bikes, cross bikes are a type of bicycle that are also known as a "hybrid" type of bicycle and are designed to be used for cyclo-cross racing. As cyclo-cross events require the cyclists to carry their bikes while running during the event, cross bikes are designed to be lightweight, and hence, are manufactured from light materials.

Being a compromise between a road bike (RB) and mountain bike (MB), a cross bike usually include strong features of both types. Examples of these features include the three front chain rings and straight or sweep up handle bars which are seen in mountain bikes. Tires of hybrids on the other hand look more like those of the road bike. It is also common to find shocks of some kind on MBs, but less so on hybrids, and unheard of on RBs. The combination of these features results to a hybrid which can also be described as somewhere in between the lighter RB and heavier MB.

One of the important parts of a cross bike is its frame. In order to cope with the stresses associated with cyclo-cross racing where the bike is carried over the shoulder to as much as 60 times, the bike's frame should be stiff and responsive, slightly wider to accommodate the size of the tires, and most importantly, lightweight. To achieve these characteristics, cross bikes are manufactured from light materials such as aluminum, carbon fiber, steel, and titanium.

Choosing the best cross bike in the market is often considered a tedious task in today's marketplace given the number of options to choose from. As such, various factors should be carefully checked before making a purchase decision. As mentioned, one of the most important parts of a cross bike, and hence, should be checked carefully, is its frame. It should be easy to carry over the shoulder, but at the same time, strong and stiff enough to traverse over wet and muddy terrain. On the other hand, the tires should have plenty of grip and mud clearance while the pedal should not hinder running. As such, it is recommended to shop for a pair of knobbly tires and double sided SPD type pedals. Lastly, the gear combinations and brakes need to be fool proof to prevent accidents during runs on varied terrains and steep inclines.

A cross bike is indeed an excellent type of bike that can be used either as a tool for training exercises or as a gear for cyclo-cross racing activities. As such, it is important to carefully choose which among the number of options to select from the best one to invest on.

About the Author:

Michiko Yang is a cyclist based in Switzerland. Throughout her cycling career, Michiko have tried using different types of bikes and one of her favorites is the Crossbike.